Regina cum Cor Ice
by Foxbracken - Phoenix Everren
Summary: Oneclaw wakes from a night-terror, like in the past moons, but it's... different, somehow. Shrugging it off after a night time walk, he goes back to the den, only to be awoken to new horrors... Scartalon is frozen solid, sending the Clan in disarray, when he meets her once again... perhaps the last he'll ever see her or anything. "Miss me, Onepaw?"


Amber eyes flashed open in the dark and snore filled warriors' den. A brown tom shot up, panting, orbs wide with fright. Trepidation fired through his body and he quaked, one name bouncing and racing through his brain.

_Coldpaw. Coldpaw. Coldpaw._

The brown tom stood erratically and staggered around his fellow warriors, faltering out of the den. On shaking legs, the brown tom shook himself and made his way to the entrance of PhoenixClan, nodding feebly to the pale ginger tabby she-cat on guard. "Hey, Oneclaw, what's wrong? You don't look so well… do you need to see Cinderfell?"

Oneclaw swallowed and straightened. "I'm fine, Scartalon. Just a night-terror about… _her_."

Scartalon flicked her ear in sympathy, murmuring, "Oh, I see… well, Oneclaw, she's dead now, long dead." She chuckled dryly. "Who would've known that a twoleg monster would be needed, eh?"

"Yeah," the brown tom mumbled; the fur on his nape ruffled. "I'm going for a walk."

The pale ginger tabby nodded and watched the brown tom leave with alert blue-gray eyes.

* * *

Oneclaw padded through the forest, the crisp cool moonhigh breeze flowing around him, soothing the tom. _Just a night-terror_, he assured himself. _It was only a night-terror, nothing more. _Once the brown tom padded along until he was worn out, he yawned widely, revealing four sharp fangs that glowed in the moonlight and a curling sandpaper tongue.

The brown warrior padded back into camp, his tail low from wariness, heart filled with the weary hope of him not having to go on dawn patrol later. In his lethargic state, the warrior did not notice a pair of gleaming misty black eyes glowing in the darkness, nor did he see Scartalon ice-covered…

* * *

"Scartalon has been frozen!"

Those were the exact words Oneclaw was awoken to near sunhigh.

_Scartalon has been frozen…_

The brown tom shot from his next and bolted out of the den, not caring what he looked like in his current stare and yowled in alarm and dismay when he saw with his very own amber orbs that Scartalon had been, indeed, frozen. Ice gleamed over her pale ginger tabby pelt, freezing every fine hair in its original position, her maw parted and her tongue slightly curled from the alarm she was about to call out, the ice freezing inside her mouth and going down her throat, her eyes glowing under the sheet of ice, claws unsheathed fully and she was on her hind legs as if defending herself from her attacker, or, freezer.

Oneclaw shoved past a small brown tabby apprentice and a taller ginger-and-gray warrior, making his way forward. Once he passed all the cats that were gathered, he gazed at Scartalon in consternation, ears flattening. "But she was fine!" The brown warrior blurted, causing all cats to stare at him. Swallowing nervously, Oneclaw stammered, "I-I went for a walk last night and she was perfectly fine! Scartalon was alive and wasn't frozen!"

Phoenixstar narrowed her bright green eyes and meowed, "Come talk to me, Oneclaw. Oakclaw, go set up patrols, we still need to eat and make sure none of those rogues try to invade." She turned and prowled off, Oneclaw warily following her, ignoring the hush whispers of alarm floating among his Clanmates.

The ginger leader turned and sat down, black striped tail raised and black ears flicking. "Tell me what happened when you left."

Oneclaw swallowed and told the young, new leader about his nightmare, to him leaving the den and talking to Scartalon, his peaceful walk, and him coming back to camp. By the time the brown tom was finished spinning his tale, Phoenixstar's bright green eyes were narrowed into tiny slits. "How odd… nothing adds up for a warrior to be frozen completely that way." Seeing the young warrior part his jaws to speak, she growled, "No, it was not Coldpaw. She was struck down by that monster and killed. Besides, Coldpaw killed cats with her claws, she can't freeze things. Not cat can, Oneclaw, you know this; you're not a kit anymore."

Oneclaw hung his head, guilt and mortification clawing through his belly. "I know," he mumbled. "But in my dream I saw her, ice was floating around her paws and her black eyes were misty like frost, and the breeze kept whispering her name…"

The PhoenixClan leader heaved a sigh, a growl rising along with it. "Oneclaw, go for a walk. You need to clear your head. Ever since you found out Coldpaw was working for Zurono, you've been… different." The brown tom did his best not to wince, knowing Phoenixstar was being generous by saying 'different' instead of other words his fellow Clanmates had been calling him.

Standing, Oneclaw turned and left Phoenixstar's den, tail dragging and ears flat. He then took off and bounded away, streaking out of camp, obeying the leader's orders.

* * *

Oneclaw padded through the territory, lost in thought about what happened to dear Coldpaw.

* * *

_A white she-cat tackled a pale ginger tabby she-cat, both laughing. "Scarpaw, Coldpaw, wait for me!" A brown tom cried and stumbled into them._

_"Onepaw," Coldpaw laughed, swatting his face. Onepaw squeaked and tumbled back, looking up at Scarpaw and Coldpaw. _

_Scarpaw laughed and helped him up, flicking her tail. "This was fun and all, but we should get back to camp, besides, it's our warrior ceremony tonight!" The pale ginger she-cat turned and watched with the brown tom as Coldpaw darted off, laughing._

_The two apprentices exchanged a glance and bounded after her, wondering why she went the wrong direction of camp. Scarpaw, being the best tracker, took the lead and Onepaw raced after her, both hearing two voices. Skidding to a halt, the ducked under a bush and stared in horror, seeing Coldpaw talking to an all familiar large white tom with orange-gold eyes._

_With a dip of the head, the tom padded off, thankfully away from Scarpaw and Onepaw. "We have to tell the Clan!" Scarpaw hissed and took off. Onepaw hesitated and gave Coldpaw a miffed filled glance before racing after Scarpaw._

_"Phoenixstar," Scarpaw yowled as she and Onepaw bolted into camp. "Coldpaw is siding with Zurono!"_

_Phoenixstar bristled and growled, "Scarpaw, that is a very high accusation you just made, now if this turns about to be false-"_

_"It's true!" Onepaw cried, shakily from betrayal. "We both saw Coldpaw talking to him and he dipped his head to her, obviously they knew each other really well!"_

_As if by fate, Coldpaw padded into camp when she heard that last part; staring at Scarpaw and Onepaw in terror, Phoenixstar growled, "Coldpaw, is this true?"_

_But the white apprentice didn't answer by words, she answered by action. Coldpaw whipped out of the camp and the PhoenixClan leader yowled, Scarpaw and Onepaw darting after her before any warrior could._

_Scarpaw hissed as her paw jammed under a root and tripped her up. "Go," she ordered when Onepaw stopped to aid her. "I'll meet up with you!"_

_The brown tom hesitated before giving a brief nod and pelting forward, racing after Coldpaw's scent. Onepaw skidded to a stop when he saw Coldpaw facing him, back arched and fur bristling, teeth bore and clashed unsheathed, two mouse-tails away from the thunderpath. "Coldpaw," he whimpered. "Why would you do such a thing?"_

_She backed up, stepping onto the thunderpath. "Because the Clans were weak and needed to be led by a strong leader! Phoenixstar is too young! She has no experience and she is new to leading! Zurono knows what he's doing, he can lead us!" Onepaw winced, seeing her grow moony about the large white tom, and felt jealousy stir in his heart._

_"I liked you, Coldpaw!" He yowled, seeing her startled expression. "How could you? I loved you and I trusted you! I trusted you…" He snarled and bared his teeth, ears flat. _

_That's when Onepaw saw the monster coming. "Coldpaw, run," he screeched but it was too late. Coldpaw lurched forward and the monster rammed into her, bowling her down to the thunderpath and squealing to an abrupt halt. A strangled cry escaped his throat and lips as Onepaw turned from the horrid scene and took off, rushing away and tumbling into Scarpaw who was leading a patrol of warriors._

_"What's wrong, Onepaw?" His mentor, Muddypad, asked gently as Onepaw untangled himself from Scarpaw._

_"Coldpaw's dead," he wailed, leaning against Scarpaw. "She was hit by a monster…" The pale ginger tabby nuzzled him comfortingly and the warriors murmured softly among themselves. _

_Phoenixstar stepped forward and meowed, "Well, then we must go back to camp. Onepaw, Scarpaw, you two sill deserve to be made warriors tonight."_

* * *

Oneclaw sighed and sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Miss me, Onepaw?" A voice purred from behind his eyes widened. Springing to his paws, he twisted around and stared right at… Coldpaw!

"How…?" He gasped, seeing her as he did in his dream, with misty black eyes and ice floating around her paws.

Coldpaw cackled, sounding like ice scarping on ice. "After you left me dying on the thunderpath and at the paws of the monster, some twoleg grabbed me and put me in the monster, taking me to some twoleg den. There, they healed me and made me stronger, better! They gave me the powers to freeze everything I touch! Of course, I didn't like them so I froze one twoleg and the other let me escape, terrified of _me_."

Oneclaw stepped back, trembling. "Please, Coldpaw, please leave me alone. I-I promise I won't tell any cat! I swear!"

The white she-cat bristled and snarled, "Never! You and Scarpaw told on me that night, and you let me be taken away! And my name isn't Coldpaw anymore, it's Ice Queen." With that, she leaped forward at the trepidation filled tom and hooked her paws onto his throat, hearing a faint cry escape it as he started to freeze, ice rushing along his fur and skin, slipping into every wound, every opening it could fine; through his nose, his ears, his eyes, and his mouth, a strangled gasp slipping in his windpipe and out before his insides became completely solid.

Ice Queen chuckled and released the iced up tom's throat, cackling. "PhoenixClan, here I come."

* * *

**Total words: 1, 706 words total.**

**Regina cum Cor Ice = Queen with a Heart of Ice in Latin.**


End file.
